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Car wash shop with a hidden question

October 27, 2022 10:31PM
I just did a car wash shop. The vacuum did not work, so I had to move to another spot. While filling out the report there is a button question on "did the vacuum work" "yes or no". If you answer "no" the report button opens up, telling you you have to look for an employee. You don't know this UNTIL you fill out the report. I've done these shops before and never saw this question open up to another answer. I never had to say "no". I sent them a message and told them what happened and about the issue with the report. I also told them if I don't get paid for this shop, because of this question, I'll never do another car wash shop for you ever again. I noticed lately their car wash shops are not being taken, they just sit there no matter how much they offer.
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October 27, 2022 10:52PM
I did look at the guidelines, and it does ask you in the guidelines to look for an employee and let them know. Now you have to walk around to the other side of the building to tell them their equipment isn't working. Since when is this part of a MYSTERY SHOP. I'm done with these shops. I believe the report should reflect the guidelines.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2022 10:53PM by johnb974.
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October 27, 2022 11:35PM
@johnb974 wrote:

I did look at the guidelines, and it does ask you in the guidelines to look for an employee and let them know. Now you have to walk around to the other side of the building to tell them their equipment isn't working. Since when is this part of a MYSTERY SHOP. I'm done with these shops. I believe the report should reflect the guidelines.

I also feel irked when the guidelines and the survey differ. Hopefully it won't be a big deal.
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October 27, 2022 11:59PM
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

I did look at the guidelines, and it does ask you in the guidelines to look for an employee and let them know. Now you have to walk around to the other side of the building to tell them their equipment isn't working. Since when is this part of a MYSTERY SHOP. I'm done with these shops. I believe the report should reflect the guidelines.

I also feel irked when the guidelines and the survey differ. Hopefully it won't be a big deal.

They do this on purpose so you pay for the car wash and they don't have to pay you anything.
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October 28, 2022 02:18AM
@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

I did look at the guidelines, and it does ask you in the guidelines to look for an employee and let them know. Now you have to walk around to the other side of the building to tell them their equipment isn't working. Since when is this part of a MYSTERY SHOP. I'm done with these shops. I believe the report should reflect the guidelines.

I also feel irked when the guidelines and the survey differ. Hopefully it won't be a big deal.

The guidelines say if you don't get a receipt you need a picture of the employee's tablet or bank statement showing your purchase. You also need a picture of the shop site with the GPS showing you were there.
When you get to the report it only says, if you don't have a receipt post a picture of the site with the GPS to show you were there....no mention of any bank receipt. I posted a picture of the site with the GPS and they refused to pay. They said needing the bank statement is in the guidelines, not on the report.
I won't do another car wash shop for them. They split the answers between the report and the guidelines. Also for the vacuum that did not work, they wanted me to go look for an employee and tell them. I thought this was a mystery shop? I've never had a mystery shop where you have to tell an employee that something doesn't work. I'm not doing an audit. It's a mystery shop.
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October 28, 2022 06:35AM
I have had mystery shops where I'm required to let employees know something isn't working, or something isn't right. Then report on how they handled it.

And every shop I don't like, whatever the reason, i don't do.

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer


Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2022 06:37AM by prince.
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October 28, 2022 07:02AM
@prince wrote:

I have had mystery shops where I'm required to let employees know something isn't working, or something isn't right. Then report on how they handled it.

And every shop I don't like, whatever the reason, i don't do.

I've never had a shop, in 7 years, where I had to tell any employee something was not working. It may be in the report, but it's up to the company to take care of it. I wasn't doing an audit, it's a mystery shop.

Besides that the guidelines should match the questions on the report. On the report I'm asked to post a picture of the site if I don't get a receipt.
In the guidelines they say a picture of the site and of your bank statement if you use a credit card or a picture of the employee tablet.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2022 07:07AM by johnb974.
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October 28, 2022 07:34AM
@johnb974 wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@johnb974 wrote:

I did look at the guidelines, and it does ask you in the guidelines to look for an employee and let them know. Now you have to walk around to the other side of the building to tell them their equipment isn't working. Since when is this part of a MYSTERY SHOP. I'm done with these shops. I believe the report should reflect the guidelines.

I also feel irked when the guidelines and the survey differ. Hopefully it won't be a big deal.

The guidelines say if you don't get a receipt you need a picture of the employee's tablet or bank statement showing your purchase. You also need a picture of the shop site with the GPS showing you were there.
When you get to the report it only says, if you don't have a receipt post a picture of the site with the GPS to show you were there....no mention of any bank receipt. I posted a picture of the site with the GPS and they refused to pay. They said needing the bank statement is in the guidelines, not on the report.
I won't do another car wash shop for them. They split the answers between the report and the guidelines. Also for the vacuum that did not work, they wanted me to go look for an employee and tell them. I thought this was a mystery shop? I've never had a mystery shop where you have to tell an employee that something doesn't work. I'm not doing an audit. It's a mystery shop.

If this is the car wash I'm thinking of with the water fowl critter on it, yeah... I've had issues with them and the MSC. I've done about a dozen of those shops and everything that could possibly have happened to me with them has happened. I will push back a bit. Whatever the customer wants, that is what we agree to do. If they want you to get the tater tots without chili, we can't put chili on the tots. That is just the way it is. So if they want you to seek out an attendant and tell them...you've got to do it as part of the shop.

But here is my thing. What in the name of all that is holy does the car wash owner think is going to happen when you tell their employee that a vacuum isn't working? Are they going to fix it? Nope. They will tell you to move 2 feet over to the empty bay and use that one. What possible good does it do to tell the employee other than see if they have some sort of imbecile who will not recommend the easily accessible remedy? Ours is not to wonder why I guess but really folks?

Just be cool folks.
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October 28, 2022 07:56AM
I know if I had told the employee they wouldn't have done anything anyway. You have to walk to the other side of the building, avoiding cars and hope you find an employee in the office.
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October 28, 2022 09:44AM
I had a similar experience yesterday for a retail shop. The guidelines say (cooler photo) OPTIONAL in capital letters. Fortunately for me it was my first time doing this shop so I sat in my car completing the report onsite and found out that the picture is actually required. So I had to take the additional picture to successfully finish the report. I dont understand why the guidelines are misleading by saying something is optional and then the report shows its a required item.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2022 09:45AM by sil2222.
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October 28, 2022 12:15PM
@sil2222 wrote:

I had a similar experience yesterday for a retail shop. The guidelines say (cooler photo) OPTIONAL in capital letters. Fortunately for me it was my first time doing this shop so I sat in my car completing the report onsite and found out that the picture is actually required. So I had to take the additional picture to successfully finish the report. I dont understand why the guidelines are misleading by saying something is optional and then the report shows its a required item.

The only reason I can see it to trip up and shopper so they don't have to pay you.
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October 28, 2022 01:49PM
If it wasn't in the guidelines and not visible in the print version of the report, I can see the issue. I hate it when that happens! But if it was in the guidelines, which you indicate it was, I'm not sure what the problem is.... Did you only read the report and not the guidelines? Even if the employee wouldn't have been able to do anything about it, I'm guessing the client wants to find out how employees are handling the situation. It's not a stupid question.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
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October 28, 2022 02:56PM
Is this for Intelli Shop's car wash assignment ?
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October 28, 2022 04:25PM
@Arch Stanton wrote:

Is this for Intelli Shop's car wash assignment ?

No, Bare
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October 28, 2022 04:31PM
Every shop I have done, the report followed the guidelines.
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October 28, 2022 05:21PM
@johnb974 wrote:

Every shop I have done, the report followed the guidelines.

Then you've been lucky. I've had many conflicts between the guidelines and the survey, so I read both very carefully so as not to end up in a situation where I missed an instruction that was in one but not the other. Was very nearly tripped up a couple of times early on when I started shopping by assuming the guidelines and report matched, and it was just dumb luck that I'd made the observation that I hadn't realized I needed to make--and remembered it.

This is why MSCs tell us we should read both. And why we shouldn't rely on just one of the two!

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2022 05:23PM by BirdyC.
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November 01, 2022 10:11AM
@johnb974 wrote:

I did look at the guidelines, and it does ask you in the guidelines to look for an employee and let them know. Now you have to walk around to the other side of the building to tell them their equipment isn't working. Since when is this part of a MYSTERY SHOP. I'm done with these shops. I believe the report should reflect the guidelines.

Looking for an employee to report a non-working vacuum is something an ordinary customer would do. This shouldn't blow your cover.
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